Method of and apparatus for severing into lengths coiled filament wire



Feb. 8, 1938. H. ASMUSSEN ET AL 2,107,926;

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SEVERING INTO LENGTH S COILED FILAMENT WIRE Filed Oct. 16. 19 2 Sheets-sheet l Fig.1.

1 Q Inventors: j Heinrich Asmussen,

Joseph R'ress,

by Their" Atto'r -neg.

Feb. 8, 1938.

H. ASMUSSEN ET AL 2,107,926

METHODOF AND APPARATUS FOR SEVERING INTO LENGTHS COILED FILAMENIWIRE Filed Oct. 16, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2

Inventor s: Heinrich Asrnussen, Joseph R'ess,

y WW g 649 T eir' Atto-r'neg.

Patented Feb. 8, 1938 Y METHOD OF WIRE Heinrich Asmussen,

Bless, Electric Company,

AND APPARATUS roa sevenms m'ro LENGTHS comm Berlin-Steglitz, and Joseph Berlin, Germany,

assignors to General a corporation of New York Application October 16, 1936, Serial No. 106,044

. In Germany November 8, 1935 10 Claims.

Our invention relates to a method of and apparatus for severing into lengths coiled filament wire for electric incandescent lamps and similar devices. Coiled filaments are formed by coiling a continuous length of filament wire around a mandrel to form closely coiled sections which are separated at regular intervals by loosely coiled intermediate sections, the said wire being severed at the middle of the loosely coiled sec-. tions to form the individual filaments. Difliculty has been experienced in devising automatic machinery to cut the filament wire into lengths since even the slightest deviations in length of the intermediate loosely coiled portions would displace the location of the out which was originally adjusted to the center of the intermediate portion. The errors in this method are cumulative so that after a certain time the lengths of the filament and their end sections vary too much from the original setting.

According to our invention the continuously wound filament wire is moved longitudinally through a beam of light, and the variation in the amount of light projected beyond the closely and loosely wound sections of the filament wire is caused to operate a cutting tool to sever said wire at definite intervals. In this manner the operation of the cutting tool is controlled by the spacing between the loosely coiled sections of filament wire thereby resulting in greater uniformity of the filament lengths. Further features and advantages of our invention will appear from the following detailed description of species thereofand from the drawings.

In the drawings, Fig. 1' is a perspective view of the main parts of a machine comprising our invention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section at an enlarged scale of the portion of the machine in which the wire is severed into lengths; and Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the position of the cutting knives and light-sensitive cell with respect to the coiled filament.

Referring to the drawings, the spool l carries the filament wire II which consists of alternately closely and loosely coiled sections 12 and I3 re:- spectively which [4 (Fig. 3). The said coiled sections are in this instance formed from previously coiled wire so that the structureis of the coiled-coil type. The

wire H is withdrawnfrom the spool ID by a uni! formly driven sheave I5. In order to assure that the wire is uniformly withdrawn, it is pressed against the periphery of the sheave l5 by an endless belt lt'which is carried by rollers l1, l8 and I9.

are still in place .on the mandrel Upon passing from the sheave IS, the wire II is pushed through a head 20 which carries inlet and outlet. guide nozzles 2| and 22 respectively and an insert plug 23 having an aperture 24 therein adjacent to the path of travel of the wire H. A light source 25, preferably an incandescent electric lamp, is located adjacent the head 20 and is adapted to cast a beam of light through a funnel 26 and through the aperture 24 in insert 23 transversely across the path of the wire II. The light projected beyond the wire ll passes through a tube 2'! and falls on a light-sensitive cell 28, preferably a photocell, in a housing 29. Next to the head 20 is located another head 30 which carries a guide nozzle 3! and has a passage 32 therein communicating with the passage 33 for the wire H, the passage 32 being connected with a compressed air line 34. Next to the head 30 is located a third head 35 carrying inlet and outlet nozzles36 and 31 respectively and a container 38 for small pieces of excess wire.

The cutting arrangement comprises two knives 39 and 40 each arranged adjacent to and adapted to be moved across the faces 4! and 42 respectively of the guide nozzles 22 and 31. The knife 39 1s carried by an arm 43 and the knife 40 is carried by a curved angular lever 44. The arm 43 and lever 44 are mounted on a common shaft 45 which is mounted in a bearing block 46 on the machine frame. Rollers 41 and 48 on the ends of the lever 44 engage disc cams 49 and 53 respectively which are carried by a shaft 56 which also carries a small gear 52 and is mounted in a bearing block 53. The disc cam 43 is provided with a raised edge portion 54 while the cam 50, at a diametrically opposite point, is provided with an edged depression 55.

The gear 52 meshes with a large gear 53 carried by a shaft 51 which also carries a Geneva gear wheel 58. The said Geneva gear wheel 58 is rotated by engagement with a roller 59 on an arm 60 which is mounted on a sleeve 6| and is prevented from overturning by a. disc 62 also mounted on the sleeve 61. The sleeve 6l sur rounds a shaft 63 which carries a gear 64 and is continuously rotated by a driven gear 65 meshing with said gear sleeve 6| is elastically held against the right .face of the gear 64 by an elastic element 66. The shaft 63 also carries a ratchet wheel 61.

The'sleeve 6| carries at its right end an arm 68 on the'end of which are pivotallymounted two angular pawls 69 and 10. The lower legs 1i and 12 of said pawls are provided with hooks 13 64. The left end of theand 14 which are displaced with respect to each other by one half tooth pitch of the ratchet wheel 61. Y

Above the coupling arrangement 61, 69 and 10 is arranged an electro-magnet I5 which is connected to the light-sensitive cell 28 by means of conductors I6 and TI through an amplifying arrangement 18. The armature 19 of the electromagnet 15 is mounted on a shaft which also carries a hook-shaped finger 8| which is normally held down to engage the upper legs 82 and 83 of the pawls 69 and 10 by a spring 84.

In operation, when a closely coiled portion I2 of the filament wire II is in front of the aperture 24 in head 28, only a small part of the light from the source 25 falls upon the photoelectric cell 28 since the said closely coiled portion I2 almost completely obstructs the said aperture 24. However, when a loosely coiled portion I3 of the said wire I I appears in front of the said'aperture 24 a greater amount of light is projected upon the cell 28 and its conductivity is therefore increased. The said cell then energizes the electro-magnet I5 through the amplifier 18. The armature I9 is then attracted by the coil of the electro-magnet I5 and the finger 8| is swung upwardly, thereby releasing the pawls 59 and I0 and permitting one of the hooks. I3 or I4 to drop down and engage one of the teeth in the ratchet 81. Since the said ratchet wheel 61 is keyed to the continuously driven shaft 63, pawls 59 and I8 and the arm 68 are rotated therewith as well as the arm 60 which, together with the arm 68, is rigidly secured to the sleeve 6|. The rotation of the arm 80 through its roller 59 causes the Geneva gear wheel 58 to be rapidly rotated a quarter turn, and through the shaft 51 and gear 55 the gear 52 is caused to make one rapid rotation about its axis. The rotation of gear 52 causes. the disc cam 49 to be rotated so that the projection 54 thereon engages the roller 41 on the lever 44, thereby causing said lever 44 as well as the arm 43 to be pivoted on the shaft 45 causing the knives 39 and 40 to move across the wire I I to sever it. In order to prevent the roller 41 from leaving the disc cam 49 the second disc 50 is provided with the depression 55 therein which is engaged by the roller 48 when the roller 41 engages the projection 54, thereby imparting a. positive motion to the lever 44 and knives 39 and 40. In the meantime the intermediate or loosely coiled portion I3 of the filament wire II which causes the excitation of the magnet I5 has been moved to a position in front of the knife 39 so that when said knife 39 is moved forward the said intermediate portion I3 is cut through at its has been lowered by the spring 84 due to deenergization of the magnet 15. The same cycle is then repeated when the next loosely coiled portion I3 of the filament wire II appears in front of the aperture 24.

When severing the filament wire II at the middle of the loosely coiled portion I3 it is only necessary to employ the one knife 39. However, we prefer to employ two knives 39 and 49 which, as shown in Fig. 3, are spaced apart a distance which is less than the distancefrom centerto center of two successive intermediate portions I3 of the filament wire I I. In this case, when the starting point a of a loosely coiled portion l3 apcell to intermittently operate a cutting tool pears in front of the aperture 24, the cell 28 will function to cause the knives 39 and 40 to be operated. The time lag is so adjusted that the knife 39 cuts this intermediate portion I3 when its starting point a appears at position 0. As shown in Fig. 3, the knife 39 is arranged so that it does not sever the loosely coiled portion I3 in the center plane y-y but rather a short distance ahead of this plane. When the knives are next actuated, the end point b of the same loosely coiled portion will be located at d so that the remainder I3 thereof will be cut to the proper length by the knife 40 arranged behind the center plane z-z. A short length of wire I3" will drop into the container 38 as waste. Since the knives 39 and 40 function simultaneously the length of the individual filaments will be equal to the distance between the two knives. .The severed filaments are blown out of the machine into a suitable container by compressed air supplied through the line 34.

In some types of coiled filaments the closely coiled portions I2 have short intermediate sections similar to the loosely coiled sections I3 which are engaged, in the finished lamp, by the support wires. In that case it is of course necessary to prevent the severing of the filament wire when one of said short supporting sections appears in. front of the aperture 24. Thismay be done by so designing the insert 23 'in the head 20 that the magnet I5 will be energized only when one of the long loosely coiled portions passes-the said aperture. When a short intermediate part passes the said aperture, the cell will not obtain sufilcient light to actuate the magnet 15 since only a part of the aperture is uncovered, while the'other part is covered by a closely coiled section of the filament wire. It is also possible to arrange two light sources adjacent each other to the same end.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

l. The method of severing into lengths coiled filament wire having alternately closely and loosely wound sections which comprises moving the filament wire longitudinally through a beam of light and causing the variation in the amount of light projected beyond said closely andloosely wound sections of filament wire to intermittently operate a cutting tool to sever said wire at inter vals.

2. The method of severing into lengths coiled filament wire having alternately closely and loosely wound sections which comprises moving the filament wire longitudinally through a beam of light directed toward a light-sensitive cell and causing the variation in the amount of light projected beyond said closely and loosely wound sections of filament wire upon said light-sensitive sever said wire at intervals.

3. The method of severing into lengths coiled filament wire having alternately closely and loosely wound sections which comprises moving the filament wire longitudinally through a beam of lightdirected toward a light-sensitive cell and into lengths.

4. Apparatus for severing into lengths coiled filament wire having alternately closely and loosely wound sections comprising means for continuously moving said wire longitudinally of its axis, a light source disposed adjacent the path or said wire and adapted to project a beam of light transversely across the said pathof said7 wire, a cutter disposed adjacent the path of said wire, and means-disposed adjacent the path or said wire on the oppositeside from said light source and in the path of the beam projected thereirom for causing the variation in the amount of light projected thereon past said closely and loosely wound sections of filament wire to intermittently actuate said cutter to sever said wire at'intervals.

5. Apparatus for severing intolengths coiled filament wire having alternately closely and loosely wound sections comprising means for continuously moving said wire longitudinally of its axis, a light source disposed adjacent the path of said wire and adapted to project a beam of light transversely across the said path of said wire, a cutter disposed adjacent the path of said wire, and a light-sensitive cell disposed adjacent the path of said wire on the opposite side from said light source and in the path of the beam projected therefrom for causing the variation in the amount of light projected thereon past said closely and loosely wound sections of filament wire to intermittently actuate said cutter to sever said' wire at intervals.

6. In a device for severing into lengths coiled filament wire having alternately closely and loosely wound sections, means for continuously moving said wire longitudinally of its axis, a pair of knives disposed adjacent to the path of travel of said wire and spaced apart a distance less than the distance between centers of successive loosely wound sections, and means for actuating said knives to cause them to sever said wire a short distance on opposite sides of the centers of said loosely wound sections to form individual lengths of wire consisting of a closely coiled section with loosely coiled sections of predetermined length at each end thereof. '7. In a device for severing into lengths coile filament wire having alternately closely and loosely wound sections, means for continuously moving said wire longitudinally of its axis, a pair of knives disposed adjacent to the path of travel of said wire and spaced apart a distance less than the distance between centers of successive loosely wound sections, a light source disposed adjacent the path of said wire ahead of said knives and adapted to project a beam of light transversely across said path, and a light-sensitive cell dis-- posed adjacent said path of said wire on the opposite side from said light source and in the path of the beam projected therefrom for causing the variation in the amount of light projected thereon past said closely and loosely wound sections of filament wire to actuate said knives to cause them to sever said wire a short distance on opposite sides or the centers of said loosely wound sections to form individual lengths of wire concoiled sections of predetermined length at each end thereof.

8. Apparatus for severing into lengths coiled.

filament wire having alternatelyclosely andloosely wound sections comprising a head having a passage therethrough for said wire, means for continuously moving said wire longitudinally through said passage a light-sensitive cell disposed adjacent to one side of said head, a light source disposed adjacent to said head on the opposite side from said cell for directing a beam of light through a transverse aperture in said head across the path of said wire toward said cell, means for excluding substantially all light from said cell .other' than that projected by said light source, a

cutter disposed adjacent to the path of said wire, and means controlled by said light-sensitive cell for causing the variation in the amount of light 'sistlng of a closely coiled section with loosely of said wire, mechanism for actuating said cutter,

driving mechanism comprising a constantly v driven shaft having aratchet wheel thereon, a

pawl forming a coupling between said ratchet wheel and said cutter-actuating mechanism, and an electro-rnagnet .adjacent said pawl normally holding it out of engagement with-said ratchet wheel whereby the variation inthe amount of light projected from said light source past said closely and loosely wound sections of filament wire upon said light-sensitive cell causes said cell to actuate said electro-magnet to release said pawl and permit it to engage said ratchet wheel to couple the said cutter-actuating mechanism thereto and causethe said cutter to sever the wire.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 in which the cutter-actuating mechanism comprises 9. Geneva gear wheel, a sleeve on the said constantly driven shaft having a pair ofarms extending therefrom, one of said arms carrying said pawl and the other arm having a roller thereon for engaging with said Geneva gear wheel and causing it to be rotated upon engagement of said pawl with the said ratchet wheel to actuate the said cutter.

f HEINRICH ASMUSSEN.

JOB. RIESS. 

